Rosary procession planned in support of Bishop Strickland

A rosary rally will be held Saturday, November 18, at 10 a.m. in support of Bishop Joseph Strickland, following the pope’s decision to remove Strickland as bishop of Tyler, Texas. The rally has been organized by the Sacred Military Order of Knights of the Republic and the Most Victorious Heart of Jesus from Willis, Texas. The rally has already garnered enough attention to where the location had to be moved to accommodate more people, according to a representative from the Knights of the Republic.

“To accommodate more participants, we have moved the start/end location for the procession to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Tyler,” said Justin W. Haggerty, Knights of the Republic. The procession will begin at the cathedral, continue to the Tyler Town Square, and return to the cathedral. It will consist of the 15-decade rosary. The knights said the procession is “in defense of Holy Mother Church and in support for Bishop Joseph Strickland.”

Haggerty said they have a large number of Catholics they are expecting to participate. “To our knowledge, there is a strong number of faithful Catholics who are traveling in from out of state, and we will have many parishes, Knights of Columbus councils, and Catholic lay organizations represented from across the Diocese and greater Texas.” He said those unable to travel to Texas to participate can be involved by praying the rosary wherever they are at and offer it for the same intentions as those in the procession. Haggerty said the Knights are holding the procession in support of Bishop Strickland and they do not want it to be about them or an anti-pope rally. He said it is about Jesus Christ.

“We would like to reiterate the humble request of the bishop, ‘I pray that this effort is prayerful, respectful, and focused on Jesus. He is the only support I need, and I feel the profound embrace of His Sacred Heart. I appreciate the vigorous faith that is inspired by but please remember I am nothing. Jesus is everything. Viva Cristo Rey!’ The Rosary Procession, and our involvement in the organization of, is not about us, nor for us, but for the greater glory of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, and His Most Sacred Heart,” said Haggerty.

The rosary has been a powerful prayer weapon and, at times, has changed the course of history. There have been instances where priests have been saved from the atomic bomb in World War II, tanks have been stopped during war, an attempted communist takeover was thwarted, and even a man was saved from serial killer Ted Bundy. The rosary has power when it is prayed. Faithful Catholics around the world are encouraged to participate wherever they can pray the rosary if they are unable to attend in person.

Strickland was removed as bishop by Pope Francis on November 11 following the results of an Apostolic Visitation. The reasons behind the Apostolic Visitation and the results of the inquiry have not been released. Strickland has been a staunch defender of the faith, the Church, and Jesus. As such a defender and advocate, sometimes it has pitted him against Pope Francis and made him one of the pope’s largest critics. Strickland refused the pope’s request for the bishop to resign. Following Strickland’s refusal of a resignation, the pope announced he was removing Strickland as bishop of Tyler.